T-Mobile Innovations LLC

T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Deepak Nadh Tammana

Roopesh Kumar Polaganga

Sreekar Marupaduga

Rishitha Ponugoti

Vishnukanth Subramaniyam

The technology described herein improves communication quality and device efficiency by selecting an initial radio technology (e.g., LTE, 5G) for use in an EN-DC communication session between a user equipment (UE) and a communication network. The radio technology may be selected by a network node (e.g., eNodeB) based on a geographic location of the UE within a service area and performance measures calculated for geographic location. In some geographic areas, the 5G leg may perform below a threshold quality measure, while the LTE leg performs well. In these situations, designating the LTE leg as the radio technology for the initial user-data layer may yield a better overall performance (e.g., data throughput) than using the 5G technology for the initial user-data layer leg.

Radio technology selection for a communication session

Dynamic carrier aggregation cell relationship management systems and methods are provided. In some embodiments, carrier aggregation relationship configuration logic computes carrier aggregation utilization statistics for primary serving cell and secondary serving cell relationship configurations. The logic further reconfigures primary serving cell to secondary serving cell relationships based on the utilization statistics to provide carrier aggregation coverage to user equipment that most efficiently utilizes the extra bandwidth made available by activating a secondary serving cell for carrier aggregation. The ability to dynamically reconfigure primary service cell to secondary service cell relationships improves carrier aggregation utilization, reduces congestion, and improves network resource utilization.

Systems and methods for dynamic carrier aggregation cell relationship management

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media herein modify the utilized communication protocol of one or more wireless base stations and/or UE devices based on signal quality information or data rate information associated with one or more UE devices. The signal quality information or data rate information of the UE devices can be analyzed by a base station and the base station can respond to changes in signal quality or data rate of the UE devices by modifying the configuration of one or more base stations and/or UE devices from a first communication protocol to a second communication protocol quality of transmissions between the UE devices and a base station.

Trigger based configuration of wireless protocols in communication networks

The disclosed technology provides systems and methods for dynamically assigning cell reselection priorities (e.g., system information block (SIB) priorities) to different layers (e.g., different frequency bands or different radio access technologies (RATs)) for radio cells experiencing performance degradation. In some implementations, default SIB priorities of degraded layers are downgraded based on the severity of the performance degradation, for example, set to the lowest variable SIB priority for critical performance degradations. The adjusted SIB priorities are broadcast to user equipment (UE) to allow the UEs to perform cell reselection based on the adjusted SIB priorities. When the performance degradation is resolved, the SIB priorities revert to the default SIB priorities.

Cell reselection priority assignment based on performance triggers

A wireless access node detects contention among User Equipment (UEs) for wireless resources. The wireless access node prioritizes individual UEs based on the wireless network slices used by the individual UEs. The wireless access node allocates the wireless resources to the individual UEs based on the prioritization. The wireless access node wirelessly communicates between the wireless network slices and the UEs over the allocated wireless resources.

Wireless communication network access for wireless user equipment based on their wireless network slices

A system and method of managing network resources is provided, in which a resource usage threshold for an access node to which a wireless device is connected, wherein the wireless device is configured for communication in both of a first communication mode and a second communication mode is set; a resource usage of the access node in the first communication mode is monitored; the monitored resource usage to the resource usage threshold is compared; and in response to a determination that the resource usage exceeds the resource usage threshold, the wireless device is caused to switch from the first communication mode to the second communication mode.

Dynamic rat assignment for dual-capable iot devices

A wireless communication network serves User Equipment (UE) based on co-location and Received Signal Strength (RSS). A serving wireless access node selects itself for an uplink and downlink when no candidate wireless access nodes are co-located with the serving node. The serving node selects a candidate node for the uplink and downlink when the candidate node is co-located with the serving node and has an RSS level that exceeds a first threshold. The serving node selects itself for the uplink and selects a candidate node for the downlink when the candidate node is co-located with the serving node and has an RSS between the first threshold and a second threshold. The UE may trigger access node selection by entering idle mode. The serving node may condition the selection of a candidate node on whether the candidate node supports a wireless network slice for the UE.

Wireless access node selection based on received signal strength (RSS) and access node co-location

A wireless communication network serves a wireless User Equipment (UE) over a higher-priority Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and a lower-priority PLMN. The UE switches between the higher-priority PLMN at a wireless access node and the lower-priority PLMN at another access node. A network controller detects the excessive PLMN-switching and signals the UE to avoid the higher-priority PLMN until the wireless UE returns from idle mode. The wireless access node exchanges additional communications with the wireless UE over the lower-priority PLMN until the wireless UE enters the idle mode. The wireless access node may exchange additional communications with the wireless UE over the higher-priority PLMN after the UE returns from idle mode.

Wireless data service over public land mobile networks (PLMNs) that have different priorities in wireless user equipment

The disclosed technology provides system and methods for steering wireless communication devices away from low capacity layers (e.g., cells operating on low bandwidth frequency bands or low capacity radio access technologies (RATs) when the devices are stuck on such low capacity layers because of operational state changes of radio cells that the devices can attach to. For example, when a base station determines that a stationary, connected-mode, device has been operating on a low capacity layer for a certain duration, or if a higher capacity layer that was previously out of service comes back in service, the base station can initiate a handover causing the device to attach to the higher capacity layer.

Steering non-mobile connected-mode user equipment to higher capacity radio cells

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media herein modify and/or instruct a proactive scheduling scheme of a communication network based on service level information associated with one or more UE devices. The service level information of the UE devices may be used to determine a frequency and duration for issuing proactive scheduling grants used to maintain a communication connection between a base station and the UE devices thus improving efficiency, latency, and power consumption for UE devices transmitting uplink data.

Service based uplink scheduling in communication networks

The technology described herein improves communication quality and device efficiency by selecting an access technology for use in a communication session between a user equipment (UE) and a communication network. The access technologies may be selected by a network node (e.g., eNodeB) based on a geographic location of the UE within a service area. In some geographic areas, the 5G leg may perform below a threshold quality measure, while the LTE leg performs well. In these situations, maintaining a communication session with only the LTE leg may yield a better overall performance (e.g., data throughput) than using the combination of a 5G leg and an LTE leg. The first step of the selection process is identifying geographic areas with below threshold 5G performance. Once the geographic subunits are designated as high or low performing, the designations are used to determine whether LTE and 5G should be used in combination.

Access technology avoidance for a communication session

The technology described herein selects an optimal multiplexing technology to use for a communication session. The optimal technology will minimize the probability of a disruption (e.g., a dropped call) during a communication session. A multiplexing decision process may be implemented when a user equipment (UE) is not capable of transitioning between two different multiplexing technologies and is located in a geographic area where networks using two different multiplexing technologies are available. In one aspect, the selection of an optimal multiplexing technology considers the network context at a time when the communication session is initiated, the UE's context (e.g., location near network edge, mobility profile), a device profile for the UE model, the UE history, and usage history for the user of the UE.

Multiplexing technology selection

The technology described herein reduces control-plane overloading by transferring UEs from the overloaded control plane to another available control plane. At a high level, the technology identifies when a control plane is overloaded, identifies other available control planes in a geographic area served by the overloaded control plane, and then identifies UEs for transfer using one or more criteria. Initially, a measure of control-plane performance for a control plane is received. Next, a determination is made that the control plane is overloaded by comparing the measure of control-plane performance to an overload threshold. When an overload condition exists for a control plane, then UEs with existing communication sessions using the control plane are identified for transfer.

Growing community of inventors

Bothell, WA, United States of America

Deepak Nadh Tammana